From what I understand, he'd have a better chance in the New England area in the video game industry.

Source? I seriously want to know-

But if that were the case- oh hell no.

We saw several locations for game developers we are familiar with when were were out there last week.

I've been out of the industry for a while now. But a lot of the bigger developers have corporate offices in California. The acutal development is usually someplace else.

College roommate/developer of Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Good source :)

okies- well.....I am still seeking the advice.

I thought San Diego had some large game companies (at least, Sony Online Entertainment is there)

It's definitely a better market out here than Colorado, but it's not the biggest market for actual development work.

All you'll do is drive here. That's what we do. I live in Orange which is about 15-20 minutes without traffic to Newport Beach. If you're looking to live in Orange County you can always get to the beach.

We have it! You'll see panic when it rains.

I go regularly. I live so close that its a very short drive on the freeway. You can access from side roads easily also.

Housing in Orange County is much more expensive than other cities. My little 2 bd/2 ba condo is currently valued at $320,000 and my place is over 20 years old, no garage, and I dont have my own laundry room. From what I gather I could probably get a giant house in Georgia for the same amount. But I wouldn't live anywhere but here!

What kind of involvement in the industry is he looking for? I don't know his resume at all so don't take this as dismissive or anything. Is he already educated/experienced in the industry?

There are jobs in the LA area, and there are big pockets all over the place (San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, etc). I know several game developers and by coincidence not one of them is in California (Ann Arbor, Orlando, and working from his home in New Hampshire) though all of them work for companies headquartered in California (Blizzard in Irvine, EA and LucasArts both in the San Francisco area).

I certainly would not be one to discourage moving to a place just because it sounds like a good place to live, but the LA and SF areas are both very expensive places to live while twisting in the wind looking for work. My advice would be to move once you have employment rather than move hoping to find it, but everybody has their own tolerance level for the discomfort of risk.

Well, if I'd gone back to my mulling north or south, if I could move across country all over again, I think (hot weather aside) I'd head South. It's stil cheaper than here.

Weigh your financials, you will spend twice what you think you will in the first year, easily.